Beyond the Walls
by jcwriter
Summary: Severus finds solace in a very unexpected place when Voldemort's power rises beyond anyone's worst nightmares...Novellette, short chapters. PG13 for violence and suggestive material. Warning, spoilers in reviews tread with caution.
1. I

  This 'lil short story I'm working on won't be as in depth all around character-wise as my Jennifer Craw trilogy, and is much, much darker.  Can't make up my mind if it'll be PG-13 or R, but probably PG-13 because I prefer content to smut.  It's another Snape combo, but things are far from perfect in this world.  Voldemort has the upper hand and has seized more power than anyone imagined…and many are missing or dead.  Also, I'm writing this as I go so it won't be so quick on the updates either.  But in any case, hope you can buy into this, there's a twist to why certain people are there that shouldn't be or not there that should be.  (If you're picky about people staying in character/certain people being dead etc., please try reading my other three, which are more true to the original storyline even though they too have original characters.;) )

-jencraw

****

Beyond the Walls

  It was cold, but the girl no longer felt it.  It was damp, but she was soaked to the bone anyhow, so what did it matter.  The rats were the worst part, although few came in that lived long once she hit them with the rusting shackles that ran unused along the floor.  There was little reason to go that far; there was little chance she was going to get out with so many dementors on guard.  If time ever passed, she was unaware of it, except for the trays of questionable food and water that was slipped in from a little space below the door.

  She woke up as she had for many meals before, to the sound of a scrape…scrape…scraping noise from beyond the stone wall to the right of where she slept, across from the heavy, magically reinforced door.  For a long while she thought perhaps it were the rats, but now she was not so sure, the sound almost appeared to get louder as she put her ear to it.  She used the chains to scrape the moss away, and noticed that the sound had stopped momentarily.  After the pause it began again.  That was when she realized there was someone alive…perhaps even sane, on the other side of the wall.  

  Desperately she struggled with the chain, somehow managing with great effort to break the rusty thing and get at a pin inside.  Warily watching the door, and trying to listen to hear exactly where it was coming from, she began to chisel at the same spot that was coming from the other side.  For better or worse, it at least gave her something to do, and she noticed quickly that she felt a great deal warmer when she was doing something productive.  She could even half stomach the retched food that entered.  All of the sudden, she felt as if she had a purpose.

  Days went by, and calluses developed on her hands.  She pulled back her stringy hair and tied it with a strip of cloth from the bottom of her dress, and continued.  There was little doubt now, as her small dent widened the sounds became closer and closer.  At last, she began to feel vibrations besides hers as she worked, until the powdered tough granite finally began to give and a small hole appeared.  Frantically she tried to clear as much of the rock away as possible as the other chipped to widen it a bit.  Suddenly the scraping noise stopped altogether, and she peered in the hole, but it was too dark to see anything.

  "What is your name?" A voice whispered from beyond it.  It sounded strong and fervent, but tired nonetheless.  The girl had to think about that question a long time before she could form an answer.

  "Britta.  Britta Ainsley Marley.  What is your name?"

  "My name is Severus Snape," said the whispering voice.   "How long have you been here, Britta Ainsley Marley?"

  "I don't know," she whispered, sounding a bit lost.

  "Well, if I'm correct and they're feeding us once a day, I have been here three months," Severus said.

  "What year?" Britta asked.  He told her the year and date and she thought about that long and hard as she tried to sort that out in her head.  "I have been here over three years then, since Hogwarts fell."

  "Since the castle was taken, you mean," Severus whispered.  "The school is alive and well, hidden…at least, it was when I left."

  "The school survived that?  How is that possible?" Britta wondered.

  "That…is a long story.  Of course, we have nothing but time here have we?" Severus said, leaning against the wall.

  "It is good to hear another sane voice after all this time," Britta said, once he didn't continue right away.

  "It is good to hear another voice," Severus agreed, "Although I would hold my opinion on the sanity part if I were you."

  "If you question it you still have it," Britta pointed out.  "Perhaps now that we're able to talk we can keep it."

  "Perhaps," Severus whispered back, closing his eyes for a moment.


	2. II

II

  Severus told Britta many things.  At first he spent a lot of the time catching Britta up on the events of the last few years.  Dumbledore had fled with the school to a secret location far from Voldemort's reach, guarded by powerful magic and a lone Secret Keeper.  Special portals set up by the Headmaster were the only way in or out, and only those who had already been lead to the school by the physical means could use the portal.  It was masterfully laid out and planned…it had but one flaw.

  "I am sure Dumbledore has chosen another keeper by now.  For all I know, everyone thinks I am dead," Severus told her.  "Then again, James is radical enough to perhaps know otherwise.  Perhaps there is hope yet."

  "James?"

  "James Potter, Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts, took over after McGonagall was killed in the siege," Severus explained.  "He and his wife Lily have been instrumental in helping keep track of His movements over the years.  What school did you go to?"

  Britta was beginning to get used to Severus' abrupt questions.  She came to realize that he did that so that he could listen to her talk more than any other reason, to re-convince himself that he wasn't just prattling to himself.

  "I didn't go to school, when I got my letter, my parents were too afraid to send me.  So I never learned…well, I can do some things on my own, but really, that is all.  Not that it matters in here I suppose," she whispered, gazing drearily around her dark cell.  "But if I had, maybe I would have died like my parents, strung out for everyone to see."  There was silence for a moment.  Britta didn't really want to say anymore.

  "Do you want to learn some magic?" Severus whispered cautiously.

  "We can't do magic here, so it'd be pointless, wouldn't it?"  Britta asked, now not quite sure.  Why would he offer?  She heard some movement in the hole and moved from where she was beside it to peer inside without blocking what wan light she had front under the door.

  "Try to get the round pebble I dropped into the hole. It's very smooth, you should be able to tell," Severus whispered.  "Put it in your mouth but don't swallow it."

  "What is it?" She asked, feeling around until she found it.

  "It's a transcendental magically enhanced alloy that…oh bother, suffice it to say it works against the dampening effect here.  Just remember to give it back when we're done, and I'll teach you some incantations.  The first order of business is to teach you how to hide that hole so no one knows it's there," Severus said.  Britta was not worried about the hole being found, for no one had opened the door in over a year.  That was not true on the other side, however.  Once every few days, the door opened and Severus left for a while, but then he would return, never wanting to talk much afterwards.  Now she understood why they hadn't been found out yet.

  Britta found magic to be even more difficult than she thought and began to get frustrated after several tries, until he calmly explained that incantations were normally taught after the students had a couple of years learning wands first.  And, of course, they didn't have to do it with a pebble in their mouths either.  Finally after several hours of practicing, she felt something tingle through her as she chanted the incantation, concentrating in imagining it looking like the rest of the wall and then as she watched it finally happened and she felt elation like she hadn't felt in years.

  "I did it I…" she lowered her voice at his soft reminder… "It worked, it's hidden."

  "Alright, hand back the pebble through the illusion then," Severus suggested.  Taking it out of her mouth she kissed it and pushed it as far as she could through the hole.  She was too pleased with herself at first to notice he hadn't said any congratulations.  "Well, tomorrow I suppose we will have to start on something else, any suggestions?"

  "You know anything I can do about the rats?" Britta inquired as she watched one helped itself to her dinner.


	3. III

III

  Many days passed before the day came that Britta would forget.  And every moment of that time that she was awake and he was awake and there they would sit and whisper into the wall.  Sometimes they would spend hours working on an incantation…how to scare the rats and dry the clothes and even make the meal more palatable, and other times they would just talk, pausing every now and then when a scream rang through the halls, only to continue where they left off.  But as Britta's life became more bearable, she knew that things were getting much rougher on the other side of the wall.  He was being taken away from his cell every day now, although he would never talk about the horrors outside of the door.  He would be ever more quiet when he returned, and that was when Britta spoke the most, telling him everything she could think of from the most trivial of things to memories of her youth.  She even found herself easily telling him things she would have never told anyone, for he always listened quietly except the times she paused wondering if he was actually listening.  He would then make a quiet comment and she would continue.

  It was in the mornings before the ordeals that he spoke the most, and he spoke not only of his past but of people he knew…mostly about Albus Dumbledore.  Britta nearly felt as if she knew them all, even the ones he was not fond of…and despite his words, she couldn't help but hear a tinge of regret when Severus recounted the death of Sirius Black.

  "He had gotten in a fight with Peter Pettigrew, over the location of Lily and James…who knows now what tipped him off that he was with Voldemort, at that point none of us knew, although I might have suspected.  I myself was involved then, but I had little idea he was after and Lily and James that night until after Sirius turned up dead.  So James went after Pettigrew, and their little circle was destroyed."

  "What about the werewolf?"

  "Lupin?  He's at the school now, believe it or not, despite my protests at first.  I don't suppose he's all that bad now, although not someone I'd want to associate with."  Severus whispered.  Britta chuckled softly.

  "Severus, you say that about everyone."

  "Well, yes, that's true."

  "If we ever get out of here, are you going to say that about me too?" Britta inquired.  There was a very long silence.  "Severus?"

  "Britta, there's something I need to tell you that is a bit difficult for me," Severus said at last.

  "Nonsense, Severus, you know you can tell me anything.  After all, who am I going to tell?"  Britta asked.

  "You're not going to be able to tell anyone, because you're not going to be able to remember it," he said.  Britta was too confused to say anything.  "They have given me an ultimatum, either death or show them how to get to the school.  I have agreed to show them."

  "Show them?"  Britta echoed in confusion.  The man she had come to know would never do that.

  "Yes, but with any luck we will not get that far.  Perhaps, just perhaps, I may be able to escape.  If not, I am dead either way.  I must try," he whispered fervently.  "This is our last night together, and I'm afraid that if I do succeed, they may somehow find out that you knew all this, and I'm not willing to sacrifice you for this.  You will not remember me after tonight."

  "No, please don't," Britta said, her voice shaky even in her own ears.  "After everything we've been through…and what if you die, how will I mourn for you?  I can't forget you, I won't, you've meant too much…"

  "No, don't, don't go on," Severus whispered commandingly.  "I don't want to hear it.  Not here, not now.  Do not worry, I will remember, and I have every intention of seeing you out of there if I make it."

  "And if you don't, all of this was nothing?"  Britta asked.

  "For the first time in my life I have a reason to live beyond petty survival.  If I mess this up, I probably don't deserve to be remembered," Severus said.  "Wipe your tears, Britta.  Perhaps someday if I succeed we can unlock them again.  Perhaps."

  "I may forget you, Severus, but my heart will not," Britta said firmly.  There was only silence in return.


	4. IV

IV

  Britta rolled the pebble around in her mouth thoughtfully as she listened to the strange hole in the wall.  She vaguely remembered making it, and knew she used magic to cover it being there.  It was then that she had discovered the cell next to her was empty.  Fed up she spent the rest of her time cleaning up her area and practicing the handful of incantations she had taught herself from a long time ago.  But now, it appeared that the cell was finally occupied.  There were sounds behind it; pacing, nervous sounds.

  "Hello?"  Britta whispered quietly into the hole.

  "Voice!  I hear voices!  Go away, no more, torture me no more!"  A man screamed.   Fear crept into Britta as she hushed him fervently, begging him to keep it down.  Maybe this hole idea wasn't so great after all.

  "I am not a voice, I'm a prisoner, just like you," she whispered insistently.  "My name is Britta."

  "The wall," a voice said in awe.  "The wall!  It speaks!  Great wall, show me the way out, I beg of you, please, and I, Eugene Collins, will be forever in your debt."  Britta sighed.  Well, at least she got a name from him.

  "I am not the wall, I'm talking through the hole in the wall, feel with your hands and you'll find it," she whispered.  This was all wrong, she thought, but she didn't know why.  She had been so hoping it would be someone she could speak to, not someone who was going to drive her faster towards insanity.  Suddenly she heard some excited movements, and a strange sniffing sound coming from the hole.

  "Oh!  I see now!  You're a rat!  A talking rat!  Now everything makes sense!  Poor Britta, come out, I will not hurt you," Eugene said.  Britta sighed with frustration.  "Oh, there you are, little one!  Where are you going?  Ouch, don't snap at me!"

  "I am not a rat!"  Britta hissed.

  "Nonsense, of course you are!  Would you slow down?"  Eugene demanded, and Britta heard scuffling around the cell next to hers.  Sighing at the futility of the attempt, Britta slid down the wall, and found herself crying, although she wasn't quite sure why.  She wasn't any better off with someone next door, perhaps, but she wasn't all that worse of either.  Well, if she ever got really bored she could always start chiseling the opposite wall, she supposed.

   Nights were worse than days from then on, for Eugene was prone to sudden outbursts, and filled Britta with new waves of nightmares of the like she hadn't seen before. It hadn't helped that he kept calling out to her and referring to her as the friendly rat, although she had felt a bit sorry for him when he tried to pick one up and it bit him.   She also began to wonder (as another meal came in and she turned to make a mark on the wall) if she were finally starting to go crazy as well.  Perhaps whatever had protected her for so long against the fearful captors was finally waning and her sanity was on the verge of leaving her.  She tried not to think about it as she looked at the marks, counting them in comparison to the date that was scratched on the wall.  She wasn't quite sure how she knew that date, but she was fairly sure her tallies were correct, and if they were, it was Christmas Eve.

  That was also the day that the door opened.

  Two Death Eaters in masks stepped into the cell with four dementor guards that stood outside the door.  Had the insane wizard somehow given away what she had done?

  "Get up."  One of the Death Eaters said, and Britta scrambled to her feet, knowing all too well what the price for disobeying a Death Eater was.  "Out."  

  As she left her cell, after four years of wishing to leave it, she found herself desperately wishing at that moment to stay there rather than walk out now.  A strange chill went through her as she stepped over the threshold as if part of her felt that she would never see the inside of it again.  Considering her company, she was fairly sure that that feeling was not a good sign.


	5. V

V

  No one could have more surprised than Britta to find herself waking up in a warm comfortable bed.  In fact she was so surprised she sat straight up, wincing in the bright, bright light of the room.

  "Poppy!  Poppy look, she's awake," said a voice from nearby her and suddenly she was aware of two figures right beside her as she tried to get used to the light, her eyes fuzzy.  Something was wrong, she thought, feeling around with her tongue.  Suddenly frantic her fingers went to her mouth and then felt around her in a panic.

  "Pebble, pebble, where is it?"  Britta said, more to herself than the two fuzzy shapes in front of her.  She felt a hand on her and recoiled guardedly, her eyes beginning to focus on the two women that were in front of her.  The older woman with the light hair put her hand down slowly, noticing her reaction.

  "It's going to take time, and plenty of patience, I think," the red-haired woman said.  "Lie down, Britta, everything will be all right."  But Britta was more concerned at that moment about her one piece of property, and became suddenly relieved when she noticed it sitting on the table beside her.  She'd never noticed how red it was before, almost crystal-like in appearance.  Before they could stop her she popped it back under her tongue.  That was when she finally looked around and tried to figure out where exactly she was.  One thing was definitely certain.  It wasn't Azkaban.  Either that, or she was even crazier than she thought she was.

  She seemed to be in a large room with several beds; only she was the only one using one at the moment.  The walls were painted white and clean and there were cabinets full of books and potions and mirrors and all sorts of other things.  Something was definitely missing though, something in the air and on her skin that took her a while to pin point what it was.

  "Where are the dementors?"  Britta asked.

  "There aren't any here," the red-haired woman said, "you're in the medical ward at Hogwarts' School's temporary residence.  I'm Kathryn Lupin, a friend of the school, and this is the school nurse, Madam Pomfrey."

  "Hogwarts?  I'm at Hogwarts?"  Britta stammered.  "How did I get here?  The last thing I remember were two Death Eaters…"

  "Some agents of Dumbledore's went in and rescued you.  What matters is that you're safe now and you need to rest and get your strength back," Kathryn said.  Britta blinked at her in total confusion.  She wasn't completely convinced she wasn't still dreaming.  How did they even know she existed?  Her family hadn't had anything to do with Hogwarts for over thirty years…her paternal family for even more time than that.

  "I don't understand, why would anyone want to rescue me?"  Britta asked, looking between them.

  "Goodness, Britta, didn't you want to be rescued?"  Madam Pomfrey asked with slight exasperation.  "Let me go get you a tray, I'm sure you're hungry."  In the meantime, Kathryn gently but firmly put her back into bed, sitting beside her with a smile.

  "I know all of this must seem overwhelming to you, but we'll just take things one step at a time, all right?"  She smiled reassuringly.  "Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?"

  "Can you turn out the light?"  Britta asked meekly.  Kathryn studied her for a moment.

  "How about we just dim it a tad," she suggested, waving her arm over the nearest lamp and muttering a single word.  Madam Pomfrey blinked a moment as she returned then suddenly nodded to herself in understanding before setting the tray down before her.

  Britta viewed the steaming, aromatic food with a great deal of suspicion, wondering not for the first time if this whole thing wasn't some elaborate experiment of the Death Eaters to test her will.  She muttered softly to herself until the entire tray began to glow, as the two women beside her looked over with surprise.

  "You don't need to do that, Britta, there's nothing wrong with the food," Kathryn said.

  "It might have been poisoned," Britta said, before picking up a fork and staring at it for a long time.  Kathryn looked over at Poppy and back over at Britta again.  This might even take longer than she thought.


	6. VI

VI

  The Headmaster and his deputy of Hogwarts…who were also the head of the magic branch of the British resistance…watched as Severus Snape promptly attempted to wear a hole in the carpet of the Headmaster's study.  It didn't improve Severus' mood one bit that James Potter thought it was slightly amusing, despite his attempt to keep a straight face.  Headmaster Dumbledore, for his part, just seemed even more thoughtful that usual.

  "Very well, Severus, if that is what you wish, we will not say anything.  Although honestly, I really don't see how you can keep it from her forever," Dumbledore said.  "As far as I'm concerned this is a personal matter.  For now, at least."  Severus glanced up at him at that, but continued to pace to floor.  "And you are right that she is probably not ready to hear it right now anyway."

  "As far as I'm concerned she'll probably never be ready to hear it," Severus snapped.

  "In any case, I plan to go down and talk to her.  After all, we can't just pluck a fish out of water and expect it to thrive on land without assistance.  Now that we've rescued her, for good or ill, we have an obligation to see it through," Dumbledore said calmly, getting up.  "So if you'll excuse me for a few moments, gentlemen, I think it's time I went to see our new guest."

  As Dumbledore left, James walked over closer to Severus, leaning against the wall with his arms folded.

  "What are you gawking at?"  Severus said in annoyance.

  "You.  Going through all of this, nearly getting yourself _and_ Lucius killed in the process, and now not wanting to have anything to do with her."  James said.

  "Well, what did you expect me to do, leave her in there?"

  "That would have been more like you, yes," James agreed.  Severus stopped and stared at him, his expression turning quickly to anger before he flung open the door and stormed down the hall.  But James was not about to let this go, and soon caught up to the other man, striding up beside him.  "Just what happened to you out there, Severus?"

  "Read the damn medical record if you like," Severus snarled, heading down the stairs.

  "Now, Severus, you know I wasn't talking about that," James said, starting to head down after him.  Severus stopped abruptly and turned around to face him, his eyes flashing dangerously.

  "I'm going down to the Dark Quarter.  Do you really want to follow me down there?  Although I'm sure a few of the vampires wouldn't mind some fresh blood below."

  "They would no more break the Truce than you would try to talk them into it.  Fine, if you want to go down there and hide in that personal hell of yours, go.  But sooner or later you're going to have to face some hard questions, and I don't mean the ones I'm asking either," James said, turning around and heading back up the stairs.  

  Severus turned around and continued down the stairs at a rapid pace…further and further down under the earth until he came to a mirror.  He covered his eyes with his hand as he stepped through it and into the dark corridor beyond it, passing directly through the Slytherin commons and into the Dark Quarter, turning up a short iron staircase into his office.  He flung down a tray on his desk.

 "Venison steak, rare," he snapped and sat down as it appeared on the tray, stabbing it ferociously with a fork.  That was when there was a knock at the door.  "Enter."  Lucius Malfoy strode in with a book in hand, peering at the tray thoughtfully.

  "Mad at James again, are we?"  Lucius noted.

  "I invited him down but he didn't want to come."  Severus muttered.  

  "Pity, that might have been fun, given the Dark Quarter something to do."  Lucius sneered slightly.

  "They're getting restless again, are they?"  Severus said, playing with the steak knife in his hand.

  "What do you expect?  They're dark creatures, they need blood and death.  Truce or no truce, they will turn against you unless they're needs are met.  Come, now, Severus, there's a difference between a tight rein and strangulation, and Dumbledore is going for the neck.  I didn't make this truce just to sit back and do nothing any more than they did." Lucius said in such an insistent tone that Severus looked up at him.

  "Don't worry, Lucius, you'll get your revenge, and they'll get their blood," Severus said, putting down the utensils.  "We'll plan another raid for this weekend from the pipes under the cistern."

  "We'll have to take out the Guardian then," Lucius brooded.  "And how exactly do you plan to manage that?"

  Severus had no idea, but wasn't about to tell Lucius Malfoy that.

  "Leave that to me," Severus said.  "You just worry about assembling the Dark Quarter."


	7. VII

VII

  When Dumbledore arrived Britta was sitting on her bed talking to the school psychologist, who he knew had been watching her closely since she had arrived.  It had been the first time he had seen her when she was brought in unconscious…filthy, sickly pale and drawn.  But now barely a week after arrived in the underground caverns they now called home, Britta had color in her cheeks and vibrancy in her green eyes.  Her auburn hair was now clean and trimmed and braided back, and was wearing a simple but fairly new ivory dress that Kathryn found for her.  She glanced up curiously at the wizard who had just entered, and Kathryn followed her gaze, standing up with a smile.

  "Good afternoon, Professor Dumbledore," she said.  Britta's eyes widened noticeably and she stood up awkwardly beside the other woman.  "This is Britta Marley."

  "It is good to finally meet you," he smiled warmly at her.  "I am glad to see you are doing well."

   "Thank you sir," Britta said, slightly nervous.  "I am still a bit bewildered why I am here, but I am quite grateful."

  "What is important is that you are safe, sound and well again.  Do you have any thoughts about what you would like to do now?"  Dumbledore asked, gesturing for her to sit.  Britta sat back down on the bed, slowly shaking her head before glancing up at Kathryn.

  "Actually, I asked her if she wanted to stay at our place for awhile, since we have the extra room," Kathryn said.

  "Well, at least packing won't be a problem, I pack light," Britta said with a tinge of humor in her voice.  Dumbledore smiled.

  "And she's expressed some interest in learning magic…she's quite talented from what I've seen, although she's had no formal training," Kathryn went on.  Dumbledore's face changed again, regarding her with a curious, speculating interest that Britta didn't quite understand.

  "Well then, why don't we see if we can't get her a wand.  This is still a school, after all," Dumbledore said, sounding both determined and very sad.  "I will see what sort of tutoring we can arrange.  Perhaps a class or two, if you don't mind sitting in classes with those ten years younger than you," he added, with a mischievous smile.

  "No sir, I wouldn't mind.  I have little pride left to damage," Britta said.  It spoken was without bitterness, however, just as cold fact.  Dumbledore nodded slightly.

  "Very well, I will ask my Deputy Headmaster, Professor Potter, to stop by and speak with you about it when he has the time.  And considering how often he is over at the Lupins' residence I'm sure that won't be too long," he said, getting back up again.  "Take good care of our new student, Kathryn, I suspect she'll do well."

  "I will, sir," Kathryn said with a nod.  "Oh, and sir, can I talk to you outside for a moment?"

  "Of course.  Good luck, Britta Marley.  I will see you again soon," Dumbledore smiled at the girl as he stepped out of the medical ward, the psychologist right behind him.  "What can I do for you, Kate?"  He asked once they had stepped away.

  "There's something really odd going on with that girl that I don't quite know what to make of it," Kathryn said.  "I think she may have developed a repression of memories while she was in the cell."

  "Oh?  But then that wouldn't be too uncommon considering the circumstances, would it?"  Dumbledore said calmly.

  "Not like this, not the things she's forgetting.  She seems to remember the hard times perfectly, and has no trouble whatsoever talking about them…they're not pretty but she has little trouble dealing with him.  The memories she seems to be missing actually seem to stem from what must have been her more pleasant memories.  She covets a small Magebias stone as if it were everything to her, but she doesn't know where it came from.  And the spells she does know all would be specifically helpful in her situation, but she doesn't know where she learned them.  It just doesn't add up."  Kathryn said.

  "I'm sure there's no reason to be concerned, Kate, if it's important, it will show up in its own time," Dumbledore said.  Kathryn blinked at his apparent unconcern.  "She has been doing remarkably well, Kate, you've been very good for her.  And I'm sure the matter of her memories will sort itself out…when it's time.  Oh, by the way, in your spare time do you think you could go speak to Severus again?"

  "Oh, no, you heard what happened the last time I tried getting that man to talk.  And besides, I promised Remus I wouldn't try any more.  If he's so determined to try and deal with his imprisonment on his own, I can't do anything anyhow." Kathryn said.

  "Well, perhaps if he came to you?"  Dumbledore asked.  Kathryn blinked at him.

  "Sure, Dumbledore, but you know what the chances of that are," she shrugged.  Dumbledore rubbed his hands together until a snowball appeared between them, handing it to Kathryn.  She grinned at him, tossing it a bit before heading back into the ward.  Britta looked at her in puzzlement.

 "Where did you get that?"  Britta asked.           

  "Little inside joke," Kathryn explained.  "Come on, let's head home.  Hope you don't mind if it's a tad loud tonight…it's New Years Eve and we have some guests coming over later after Remus gets back from the staff meeting.  And, there may be a few undelivered Christmas presents waiting over there too," she winked.  Britta blinked at that but followed her out the door.


	8. VIII

VIII

  As they walked down the hall, Kathryn yelped in surprise as the melting snowball was suddenly plucked out of her hands, and before she could say anything was hushed quickly.

  "Snape's around the corner," a voice said from somewhere in front of them.  "Just remember, you didn't see me."

  "Oh, gawd, here we go again.  Don't forget about the meeting!  I swear to you, Britta, men just never seem to grow up.  They're much more trouble sometimes than they're worth."  Kathryn said, shaking her head.

  "You don't have to go to this meeting?"  Britta asked.

  "No, just professors only," Kathryn explained.

  "Then what do you do around here?"  

  Before she could think up an answer, the snowball suddenly launched itself down the corridor and out of view.  A split second later a yelp of surprise followed by a snarl was heard from down the hall, followed by a stifled laugh as someone brushed passed them.  That was when a man dressed from head to toe (except for a smudge of white on his chest) slid into view, stopping short when he saw the two women around the corner.  His unkempt back hair was in his eyes from his sudden stop and his deep black eyes were full of alarm.  What little color had been in his face quickly drained out upon seeing them, leaving him completely ashen.

  "We didn't see anyone, did we, Britta?" Kathryn said.

  "Not exactly," Britta agreed.  The man suddenly checked himself, and immediately walked down the corridor he had come out of without saying a word.  Kathryn shook her head.  "Who was that?"

  "That was one of the Dark Quarter professors, Severus Snape," Kathryn said.  Britta felt a curious chill go down her spine.  "He's the school's Potions Master.  But uh, he's not exactly known for his manners, obviously.  Wonder why he looked at us as if he were seeing a ghost?  Anyhow, if you do take classes you should probably sit through one of his, although I warn you he's a tad…er…dynamic," she grinned as they passed the intersection.  Britta gazed down it curiously just in time to see a shadow suddenly slip out of sight.  "Here we are, third door on the right.  If you ever get lost and have trouble finding it, just ask, I know it can be a bit disorienting down here at first."

  Kathryn entered and immediately greeted Lily Potter, who waved at them from the kitchen.  She was dressed in Professor's robes and was rocking a baby whom she immediately handed to her mother the moment they stepped in.

  "There you are, I am going to be late," Lily said with a pleasant but slightly exasperated smile.

  "Sorry, I had to talk to Dumbledore, but if it's any consolation, your husband and Severus haven't made it yet either," Kathryn smirked.

  "Oh no, not again," Lily grinned.  "Bye Harry, bye Sirina, we won't be long," she said quickly to two of the five kids that were planted on the living room floor.  "Nice to meet you," she added apologetically, heading out the door.  The kids in turn seemed more curious about Britta, and she began to feel a bit conscientious as they all looked up from their card game.

  "Britta, that's Harry Potter, second year, his sister Sirina, who'll be going in first year in the fall, Harry's friends Draco Malfoy and Ron Weasley, and Ron's sister, Ginny, first year.  Gang, this is Britta Marley, she's going to be sitting in some classes after break," Kathryn explained.  "And this is my daughter, Hope," Kathryn added, putting the baby down.  "Let's get you settled, Britta.  Your room will be over here."

  As the two women headed into the other room, Ron's eyes followed them carefully, until Harry nudged him

  "It's your turn, you know."

  "I wonder how old she is," Ron said.  "She's gorgeous!"  Draco rolled his eyes.

  "Oh, get real, Weasley, she wouldn't look twice at someone of your immaturity," Draco smirked.  "Now, if you had my sophistication –" Draco suddenly got hit by several pillows from every direction.


	9. IX

IX

  When Severus entered the meeting James Potter was already in place at the table by Dumbledore's seat, who hadn't appeared yet.  James knew by the cold look in Severus' eyes that he had little doubt who had set him up to run into Britta, and he had every intention of letting him know how unappreciated the interference was, boss or no boss.  It was bad enough they had to shove their happy family routine in everyone's face every chance they got…they were one of the few families down there that hadn't lost someone to Voldemort.  In fact in some cases, it was why certain people were here.  Nowhere was that more evident than his comrade Lucius Malfoy.  After being forced to witness the brutal murder of his wife Narcissa by Voldemort and several other Death Eaters after his failed attempt to kill the Potters, Malfoy sought to use his money and influence to buy an army of darkness.  He had succeeded, but even his massive army was not enough to take the Castle.  After a humiliating defeat that nearly cost him his life, Severus pulled him out and gave him an alternative that he could not refuse…a truce between his dark army and Dumbledore's.  It had taken a lot of negotiating to try and work out a way that both could survive and not destroy each other from within.  It was then that the Dark Quarter was born, and Dumbledore would trust no other but Severus to keep the peace between them.  It was a precarious position that Severus utterly hated although he did it well.  It was as if every time he tried to push himself to find some light in all of the darkness around him, something would always come along and push him further back.  At times he wondered why he even tried, losing himself to a silent broody depression that sometimes lingered for days.  It had not happened since he had escaped, however.  He had too much to think about to feel sorry for himself now.

  Lucius, who had seen the change in Severus as well wisely decided to say nothing, and Severus wished that everyone else would take the hint and do the same.   He had quickly gotten caught up on events and pushed himself into being able to pick up his duties again as if he hadn't been gone for months on end, and had hoped that everyone would pretend he hadn't…especially that interfering brain-picker Remus married, not to mention James, who had much better things to do than taunt him.  Some Deputy Headmaster, what was Dumbledore thinking by making that move anyhow?   After all, he had already been teaching for years before James showed up again.

  His thoughts were interrupted when Dumbledore stepped into the room, looking tired.  Lily Potter was not far behind, looking slightly apologetic as she took her chair between James and Filius Flitwick.

  "Well, now, it seems we're all here.  As you know, classes resume on Monday, don't forget to look over your attendance lists carefully when they get back.  If any of our topside students turn up missing I want it reported as quickly as possible to James and myself so that we can try to follow up on them.  If you'll recall we were able to save a few of our students last year by acting immediately upon their disappearances.  Hopefully with our new security changes and recommendations, we will have no losses this year."  The rest of the Professors looked unusually grim.  "Ah, as some of you know, we have a new permanent resident here, Britta Marley, who arrived last week.  For those of you who aren't aware, Britta has had a troubled past, and although she was accepted at this school when she was of age has never been able to have proper training. I have authorized for her to take classes if she wishes, or perhaps if some of you wouldn't mind committing some time for tutoring in her subjects, that would be even better, for I would like to see her self-reliant as soon as possible.  James will be coming around individually to discuss that matter with you."

  "Now, onto other business, you all have your security assignments, I trust.  There may be some activity this weekend, so please stay close to the school and encourage others to do likewise."  Several eyes gazed curiously towards the Dark Quarter Professors as Dumbledore and James continued about class scheduling.  Severus made a slight face.  How come every time Dumbledore says to lay low everyone assumes it's the Dark Quarter that was moving?  Okay, so they were this time, but that wasn't the point.  He drummed his fingers on his arm impatiently as the meeting droned on, and finally it was released, but Dumbledore asked for Severus and the rest of his personal staff to stay behind a moment.  Dumbledore took out a rolled piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it to Severus.

  "Here's the list of things you should definitely look to liberate if you do manage to make it all of the way in.  Please keep in mind, however, not one of those items is worth risking a life over," Dumbledore said sternly.  "Also, I want to offer some advise…destroy the basilisk if you must, but if you do, prepare for an even worse adversary the next time we try that route."  Severus nodded curtly.

  "We will do our best, Sir," Severus said, nodding for Malfoy, Pyther and the other dark professors to precede him out the door.

  "Oh, and Severus…" Dumbledore said, looking at Severus over the rim over his glasses just before the other man reached the door.  "Don't get caught this time."  Severus grimaced at him and left.


	10. X

X

  Lucius, standing in the second boat beside Francis Pyther the vampire History professor, thought that Severus Snape had lost his mind.  There was little doubt that this particular raid they were not going to go unheard or unseen.

  The damn caged poultry in the last boat were a dead giveaway to that fact.

  The boats pushed out of the hidden passage into the underground lake and Severus Snape, Remus Lupin and several other wizards and witches in long dark cloaks stepped onto a small rocky area below a pipe positioned to drain into reservoir.  The only light among them was the one Lupin as using to read the map in his hand.

  "The closest Death Eaters are in the main hall…Guardian isn't showing, it must be behind the door," Remus told him.

  "You would think out of all the resistance we would have one parseltongue in the group," Severus muttered.  "All right, make sure everyone gets de-scented.  The roosters as well," he said, looking up at the rest of his officers.  "Up the pipes we go, then.  Pyther and his volunteers will stay here with the birds in case the basilisk gets on our trail.  Let's go."  

  As the shape-shifters headed up the shaft the rest of the wizards headed up the pipes like rats, using levitation spells to manipulate their way to the Door level.  Cautiously Severus slipped into the tunnel, watching tensely as the rest of the raiders arrived and proceeded to squeeze their way past into the dark caverns deep under the Castle.  Finally there were under the last pipe, and no sign of the Guardian could be seen.

  "Now, to get past that last seal," Severus said.

  "It looks clear, there's no Eaters patrolling near there right now," Remus said.  Severus nodded curtly to him, putting on some gloves and took out a fist-sized metallic bottle, before he headed up the last pipe alone.  It was longer and steeper than the others lower down, and incredibly warm and filled with moss and slime.  At last he had reached the top and he unstoppered the vial, incanting a spell as he took out his wand and waved it over the potion in front of him.  Like a snake of liquid the bottle's contents rose and blanketed the seal, sizzling the moment it touched and filling the pipe with fumes.  Covering his mouth and nose Severus braced himself against the side and kicked at the seal with his boot and it crumbled, and Severus worked his way through and into the old girl's bathroom.   Pushing away the acid damaged pipes the sink crashed to the ground, and Severus hissed to himself, wondering if he had alerted anyone.  That was when the ghost of a young girl walked through one of the stalls.

  "What are you doing here?"  Moaning Myrtle wanted to know.

  "Trying not to become like you," Severus hissed, casting a short gleam of light down the pipe as a signal.  Before long, Lucius appeared and then Remus and the rest of the raiders.

  "Death Eaters in the Library, south corridor, ward and main stairwell, and a large gathering in the Great Hall."

  "We can't risk going too far in without alerting them.  Replace as many paintings as you can, Lucius take your men down the back stairs, you know what to do.  Everyone knows where the secret passages are if we get separated.  If anything goes wrong head either here or to the one to Hogsmeade ruins, they haven't found that one yet I don't believe, and we'll rendezvous back at the school." Severus said.  Lucius nodded throwing a hood over his face and a mask as he headed down the corridor along with his team, after a few moments, Remus nodded to Severus and they took off in the opposite direction.

  Quietly the teams worked to gather as many items as they could from the classrooms and off the walls of the Castle, Severus hissing the entire time for everyone to hurry as he glanced at his watch.  Suddenly Remus got his attention, showing him the map.  

  "Looks like Lucius is about to run into Rookwood and Maclain  near the old lab, we need to cut this trip short."  Remus told him.  Severus nodded.

  "Fine, get everyone moving again and get them back down the pipe," he said, taking out a mask.

  "Wait, where the heck do you think you're going?" Remus squinted.

  "I'm going to go join Lucius, I know this castle better than he does if he gets trapped."

  "The last time you took off by yourself during a raid you got captured," Remus hissed.  "Don't tell me after all this time you don't trust him…"

  "Lupin, I don't even trust you," Severus said, putting on the mask.  Just before he left, Remus stopped him and handed him the map.

  "Don't worry, it'll work this time," he said.  Severus looked at Remus carefully from behind the mask but said nothing as he headed down another corridor.  

  That was when a loud scream echoed through the halls of the main floor.


	11. XI

XI

    Britta hurried behind Kathryn as they headed down the corridors behind James and stepped onto a portal that took him to another part of the caverns.  These were unfinished and not paneled like in the school, but a great deal of wizards and witches were traveling through it at the moment.  It ended at an underground river, and sitting there along with a crowd of others all dressed in black was Remus Lupin, who was busy at that moment being questioned by Albus Dumbledore when they walked up.

  "He went back for Lucius, you know how he gets, I wasn't likely to stop him," Remus said, putting an arm around Kathryn.  "If they made it they should be back at any moment. They might have taken the other passage back."

  "I don't think you should have given him the map," James said, "if they get caught or killed, we'll lose one of the few edges we have left."

  "I wasn't about to leave Severus blind, and if he does actually make it over to them they'll have more chance getting out with it than without it," Remus said.  "Don't worry, he's not likely to take any unnecessary chances, and he'd sooner die than get thrown in Azkaban again."

  "If Severus made a habit out of taking unnecessary chances I would have never put upon him the burden of the Dark Quarter in the first place," Dumbledore said in a firm tone.  "And if you don't mind I'd like to assume they're all alive until we have any proof otherwise.  I think we've learned from when Severus was gone not to take for granted just because someone is missing doesn't mean they are dead."

  Britta took a few steps away from them and sat down, getting a strange feeling again.  So that Professor she had met the other day had been in Azkaban too?  She found herself instantly intrigued by that revelation, for he too, seemed to have survived with his sanity in tact, and not only that, still had the strength to fight back.  She tried to remember him from the brief meeting in the hall, but she couldn't remember his face clearly.  Even so, she suddenly felt a wish to know him, wanting to know how he got through it, perhaps even share what she went through with someone who would truly understand.  

  "Sir!  I see a light coming," one of the raiders said.  The wizards and witches standing along the water took out their wands defensively, fearing the worst…that the remaining raiders had been killed or captured, and Voldemort had found the secret passage beneath the Castle.  But as the boats grew closer a bat preceded them, and once it reached the shore turned into the much bedraggled but otherwise unharmed countenance of Francis Pyther.

  "Professor Dumbledore, James, all back and accounted for, sir!"  He reported cheerfully.  

  "Injuries?" Poppy Pomfrey cut in.

  "Yes, ma'am, a few, they had to fight the basilisk to get back down, broken arms, two poisonings and two petrifications, but still alive," he said, sitting down tiredly as an excited cheer of relief went up.  No one could have been more pleased than Dumbledore, who went do the edge of the water to greet them as the boats neared the shore.

  Severus jumped down into the water before the first boat landed, looking quite irritable and tired as he helped pull the boat up and walked up to Dumbledore, Lucius joining them on shore.

  "Well, it could have gone a lot smoother," Severus muttered.  "Unfortunately Maclain has the lungs of a bullhorn."

  "Maclain?"

 "Dead now, vampire fodder, along with Rookwood and several others that caught up to us on the run," Severus said.

  "Yes, but we nearly had a problem with one of their own vampires," Lucius said.  "Voldemort's puppet caught up with us, and unfortunately Quirrel seems to have a lot more backbone as a vampire than a human.  Luckily Myrtle decided for once to go and let someone else know what we were up to, and Peeves, George and Fred were able to keep him and his guards busy until we could slip down the pipes."

  "Hm.  That's when we realized the basilisk was out and had cut off our escape route right outside the door of the Chamber," Severus frowned, "Not that we really had any choice at that point but to go down.  We proceeded with mirror shields up, and Lucius was able to blind it momentarily, long enough to get nearly everyone passed it and down towards the lake.  Then we taunted it to keep it distracted long enough to get the rest passed…"

  "You taunted it.  It was all I could do to keep the thing from eating you whole," Lucius grunted at Severus.  "The man has a death wish, Dumbledore, that's all there is to it."

  "It worked, didn't it?" Severus snapped.  

  "If you don't want to count those of us who got limbs broken by it thrashing its tail, yes."

  "Well it thrashed a lot worse when we got it down to the lake and brightened the room for the roosters.  It tried to swallow them before the inevitable happened, but we had brought enough along even a worm that old had no chance.  It was dead from their crowing within seconds."  Severus said.

  "Now that it is gone, you can be sure that it will be quite impossible for you to use this route again, Voldemort will waste little time sending his servants down to try and find out how you got in, and once he discovers the Guardian missing, he'll assign a new one."  Dumbledore reminded them.

  "They won't be able to find it, not without help, and fortunately this time we spared them the benefit of prisoners.  But you're right; for all intents and purposes, we need to consider this passage closed.

  "Well, we still have one passage left," James pointed out.  "Perhaps it's about time to make a serious attempt to get in the Castle and seize control once and for all."  Lucius and Severus regarded James dubiously as one by one the raiders began to wander back up the caverns.

  "Even I am not mad enough to take on Voldemort head on," Severus said with a lingering look at James before he turned to leave.  It was then that he noticed a beautiful woman he recognized all too quickly standing back from the crowd, watching him carefully.  That was when Britta heard her name and walked back over to where Remus and Kathryn were standing.  Then again, perhaps he was mad enough, he mused.  He slipped into deep thought as he headed back to the school and down to his office in the Dark Quarter.


	12. XII

XII

  It wasn't long before Britta found herself with a full schedule and an unbelievable amount of catch-up to do, so much that at times she even came to miss the solitude of her cell.  She had tutored classes with Flitwick, J.Potter and L.Potter twice a week each, while having formal classes with Sprout, Pyther, and Snape.

  All of her tutored classes were in the beginning of the week, starting with Charms, and Britta was glad to have a chance to finally use the birch unicorn hair wand that Dumbledore had lent to her.  Transformation was interesting but a tad tricky, yet she seemed to truly excel at the Defensive spells Lily showed her, so much so that Lily suggested she might want to consider taking the Defense With the Dark Arts with Malfoy as well.  She quite expected History and Herbology to be the most disinteresting, but the five hundred year old Pyther seemed to have a life anecdote for every major event in history, while Sprout kept them to busy identifying plants and digging in the dirt to notice the passage of time.

  Her most difficult class by far was Potions, and it hadn't taken a moment to figure out why.  Unlike History and Herbology, which were easy to pick up mid term, Potions were based on many progressive formulas and techniques that she hadn't had the benefit of learning, and Britta quickly began wishing that Severus had agreed to tutor her as well.  In fact, he seemed to even go through extreme lengths to ignore her while making quite pointed remarks of the inadequacies of many of the regular students, keeping them on edge throughout the class.  She sighed softly to herself, struggling to make sense of the formula in front of her.  Perhaps she was only imagining it.  At the same time, she found herself wishing he would talk to her more, even if it were yelling like he did to the others.  There was something about his voice that hit a familiar cord in her, and she often found herself listening to the sound of it rather than paying attention to what he was teaching.

  During the weekends Britta closeted herself up in her room with her books in hand and buried herself so deeply into her work that Kathryn began to get slightly concerned.   Either she was in class or in her room, and never came out except for meals.  And although she and Remus had given Britta a necklace with a tiny box to keep her Magebias stone in, Britta was more often than not sucking on it, especially any time she seemed nervous or uneasy.  So the next weekend when Britta tried to head to her room after breakfast Kathryn blocked the door.

  "Britta, why don't you go to the Quidditch Cavern today, get some exercise, you look a bit pale," Kathryn said.  "You know the way right?"

  "You're not going?"

  "No, no, I'd better wait here until Remus gets back," Kathryn explained.  Britta nodded, glancing at the lunar calendar on the wall.

  "All right, I'll go, but can I get in my room to get a book?"

  "You don't need books on the Pitch.  You're cloistered up too much as it is."

  "But I have a potion's test on Thursday."

  "That's five days away!  Go!"  Kathryn said firmly.  "Doctor's orders."  Britta glowered at her but turned towards the door, heading down the corridors to the large cavern.  

  There was little doubt so huge of a cavern was delved in any way but magic.  The ceiling was enchanted to look like the sky, bright blue with fluffy clouds that moved across with leisure.  A light breeze blew across the Pitch where several players were out practicing, and Britta quickly recognized the Gryffindor team as Harry dove across the field practicing turns and dives.  She found a seat on the bleachers away from the team and a group of first years playing on the other side of the field, enjoying the sunlight in on her face.  Suddenly she saw a shadow above, and gazed up just in time to see a handsome seventh-year student land gracefully in front of her.

  "Hi there, haven't seen you around here before," he said with a warm smile.  "I'm Oliver Wood."


	13. XIII

XIII

  "I'm Britta Marley," she replied.  His expressive eyes suddenly twinkled and he smiled wider.

  "Oh, so you're Britta Marley, I've heard about you, it's very nice to meet you," he said offering her his hand.  She smiled back and shook it, but was slightly puzzled when he didn't let go right away.  "I don't suppose you'd want to go riding with me?"

  "Oh, well, I'd love to but, I never learned how," Britta said.

  "No problem, we'll ride double then, come on," he offered, helping her stand.

  "Are you sure it's safe?"

  "Yes, well, can't be too safe can we, life wouldn't be much fun then," he winked at her.  "But if it makes you feel any better, I've had plenty of experience."

  "On a broom?"  She asked point blank.  He grinned on her.

  "Not as naïve as all that then, are we?"  Oliver said.

  "Well you're coming on a bit strong," Britta accused him.

  "Am I?  It's a Quidditch habit, really.  Grab hold of the ball before anyone else has a chance to move in then guard it with your life," Oliver said.  "So are you game then, or not?"  

  Hardly believing what she was doing, Britta climbed up behind him as the broom hovered slightly cautiously putting her arms around his waist.

  "Hold on tight now," he said, looking over his shoulder at her.  "Oh come on, tighter than that, can't have you falling off in a loop."  Britta's eyes widened.

  "Did you say loop?"  She said and began clinging to him wondering if this was such a good idea.  But before she could change her mind, Oliver kicked up hard and they headed straight up the pitch at a steep climb

  Down below a group of students were gathering to watch as Oliver did a full turn around the Quidditch pitch before twisting into a tight triple inversion as they went straight up the field.  A loud applause came from the students gathered on one side of the field, as Ron and Draco headed over to where Harry's standing.

  "All right, what news, who's he got up there this time?"  Ron wanted to know.

  "Britta Marley," Harry grinned.

  "No!  No, that's just not right!"  Ron said, "She's got five years on him, he can't be serious."

  "She's got ten years on you but you never stop fawning over her," Draco said.  "Besides, I bet she slaps him when he gives her The Line."

  "Bet you a galleon she doesn't," Harry grinned at him.  They shook hands on it.

  "You know it's not fair, really.  He's got everything!  Captain of the Quidditch Team, Head boy, and now he's on what, the sixth girl this year?"  Ron complained.

  "Seventh," several of the students said at once.

  "He's probably not even serious, he's just doing it because he thinks it'd be cool dating an older woman."

  "Oh, shut up and get over it all ready, Weasley.  Look, he's setting up for the kill, now," Draco pointed out as Oliver slowed a bit around the far side of the pitch, hovering higher than the box pennants.  Just then he surged forward and into a dive, doing a series of large loops over the field before ending through the center Quidditch ring as the crowd cheered below, slowly coming to light on the pitch away from everyone else.

  Britta's head was spinning and her heart was leaping through her chest as she very cautiously put her feet on the ground, feeling a bit giddy.  Quickly Oliver moved to steady her with his arm.

  "Well, how did you like it?" Oliver asked her, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

  "I'm not sure," she admitted, "I'll tell you when my stomach comes back."

  "It gets better, trust me, it's always hardest the first time," he said, walking her back across the pitch with his arm still around her.  "But there's nothing more exciting than taking a nice hard ride with a long piece of wood between your legs to keep you flying."  Britta stopped and stared at him.

  "Oh, that line can't possibly work for you."  She said in a condescending tone.

  "Actually I usually get slapped," Oliver admitted, tilting his head and pointing at his cheek with a grin.  "Go ahead if you like, I don't mind, I kind of like it."  

  Rolling her eyes at him with an exasperated grin, she began walking off the field.  After a quick 'thumbs up' to the crowd (who promptly cheered again,) Oliver hurried over to catch up.

~A/N As they say, ze plot thickens.  And this twisted story is takes another twist!  Muahaha.   Well, I warned you it was a drama :P  BTW for those wondering it looks like this will be a 20 chapter novelette when I'm done, about the same size chapters.  Thanks for the reviews, and please stay tuned to see what Severus thinks of this latest development!  Gosh I hope you're following all this.  If you haven't read the first three Rowlings, you might miss some of the references…sorries, but this is a what if, not what about!  Thanks again! Please R/R!


	14. XIV

XIV

    Despite first impressions, Britta soon found that Oliver seemed quite content with her setting the pace, quickly taking the more tactful approach of helping her study in the evenings.  Britta in turn was very grateful to have someone to talk to as well as have someone to help her understand some of the formulas she had missed in potions.  It was after a long evening in the library Wednesday after Oliver walked her back that he suddenly found himself yanked out of the main corridor into a darker side passage to find Snape's hand at his throat.  Seven years of nightmares suddenly came to the surface as Oliver stared into Snape's threatening gaze.

   "Let me make something clear to you, Wood.  If you so much as harm one hair on Marley's head, or take advantage of or hurt her in any way, I swear to you, student or no student, you will have me to deal with, and I can guarantee that the experience will not be pleasant.  Is that understood?"  Oliver, turning slightly red, nodded.  "And don't try telling anyone we had this little chat, either.  Not only will I deny it, but I will hunt you across the face of the earth to make sure it doesn't happen again."  Severus then backed off, watching Oliver carefully as he rubbed his neck with unmasked dislike before heading back down the hall, glancing around suspiciously every few seconds.  Severus watched him for a moment with a frown, before heading back down the other way.

  In the otherwise empty corridor, there was a sigh.  James took off his invisibility cloak looking grim, trying to decide whether or not to call Severus on that, or to let it go.  It was for personal reasons, James knew, but this tension was one that would only get worse.  Pondering it for a moment, he decided that perhaps it would be best to just keep an eye on things a while longer.  With that decision made, he stuffed his cloak into a large pocket sewn into his regular cloak before taking off home.

  After sweating through the test that afternoon, Britta took a short break before returning to the lab, having signed up for extra time to work on an experiment.  She had gone over one of the labs at the first half of the year, heart's balm, hoping to pick up some greater skill at working with the more temperature sensitive fresh ingredients as opposed to the powders they had been working with.  It was as the lavender crystals were getting to boil and she was gently bruising the heartsease that she heard a voice around behind her.

  "A bit young for you, isn't he?"  Britta suddenly turned around to see Severus standing behind her.

  "What?"

  "The heartsease, it's a bit young for this potion, isn't it?"

  "Oh," Britta said, blushing slightly for what she thought she heard.  "Yeah, but it was all Professor Sprout had, she thought it would be all right.  Will it?"  Britta asked, looking up again.  Severus was posting test marks up on the board.

  "With a little work, I suppose it's possible," he admitted reluctantly.  "Although there's much to be said with going with an older plant."

  "More potent?" Britta inquired as she added the leaves.

  "More subtle," Severus said dryly, "More balanced, and more likely to not yield under harsh conditions."

  "Can't they also cause potions to taste a lot more bitter, though?"  Britta asked.  Severus looked at her expressionlessly for a moment, before turning back to the board.

  "You might want to check your test results before you leave.  You're doing remarkably better, decidedly so for coming in mid term."  Britta smiled slightly, putting in the temperature gage before fishing out some butterfly wings and adding them to the boil.  "Although I do have one request though.  Stop chewing gum in class."  Britta blinked then suddenly blushed bright red.

  "Sorry, I…it's a bad habit I picked up from prison.  Why didn't you say anything before?"

  "You're an adult and here on your own free will, I'm not about to patronize you in front of the other students." He said, then turned to look at her oddly.  "How did you pick up that habit from prison?"  Feeling slightly embarrassed, Britta removed the stone from under her tongue.

  "It's this pebble I got from Azkaban somewhere.  I know it sounds crazy, but it's the most important thing I have…reminds me of things."

  "Reminds you, reminds you of what?" Severus asked sharply.  Britta looked into it thoughtfully.

  "Not to take anything for granted for one thing.  And, that there are more kinds of walls than those of stone made to keep people in.  One day, I want to break free of all of them, just to see what it's like," Britta said, slowly putting the stone in the tiny box around her neck, turning back to her potion.  Severus stood and stared at her for a long moment, saying nothing.

  "Don't forget to distill that before you begin re-crystalizing it," he said quietly as he left the room, not looking back.  He then stepped into the empty staff room and opened the closet, gazing at himself for a long time in the mirror inside the door, lost in thought.


	15. XV

XV

  Ginny Weasley looked miserably over the desk at Professor James Potter, feeling very conscientious.  She had never gotten in trouble for anything before.  And although Potter didn't seem particular mad about catching her writing in the diary in class, he was slightly concerned about how distracted she had become lately.  But James knew that things had been touch and go with Ron and Ginny after losing their family member by member from a series of attacks directed at them, and the last thing James wanted to do was discourage any outlet she had for dealing with that.

  "You know, Ginny, I am actually really glad that you're making such good use of the diary that Draco gave you for Christmas.  Just don't let me catch you writing in it during Transformation again, okay?"  James said gently.  She nodded slowly.

  "Yes, sir, sorry, Professor," Ginny said.  "It won't happen again," she promised.  He smiled at her.

  "Good, I'm glad to hear that, you're normally one of my most tentative students," he said, getting up and walking her to the door.  "I wish more students were like that," he chuckled.

  "Thank you, Professor," she smiled weakly, as he opened the door for her.  Sighing softly, he returned to his desk just as another knock sounded on the door.

  "Come in."

  Severus entered with a rolled map in hand, shutting the door behind him.  And while James had been expecting him, he found himself doing a double take, gazing at him thoughtfully.  James glanced at the calendar.  Nope, wasn't even the first of the month.  Not only was he clean and his hair neatly combed back, he even had his newer black robe on.

  "Special occasion?"  James queried.

  "Don't start," Severus said curtly, rolling out the map.  "Let's just go over this idea one more time, shall we?  I really have no intention of dying on this suicide mission of yours."  James decided not to comment on the irony of his last statement.

  "Well, the worse case scenario is, of course, if we have to go up and get him out of the study ourselves.  The advantage to that is if we do get up there all we need to do is get to the dragon painting and the castle itself can do the rest," James said.

  "Pointless if we have to fight the entire castle to get there," Severus said grimly.  "And we don't have the support to take it on."

  "That's why I say we need to go for the Stone," James said, sitting down, pointing at the map.  "It has to be there, that would be the only explanation for the third floor to be so heavily guarded.  Voldemort will have little choice but to come deal with us himself, and once out of the study, we'll have a chance to kill him."

  "It's getting there that's the problem, that's been the problem since the beginning," Severus snapped.  Then he sighed sharply.  "Look, lend me the cloak, I'll go in first and try to de-trap the way there once I get past the guards.  Then, once Malfoy's troops get there all they'll need to do is dispatch the Death Eaters and head straight in."

  "Now who's talking suicide!  Besides, I'm not sure I want you to go this time, in fact, I think I'm going to lead the team myself."

  "Absolutely not."  Severus snapped.  James turned suddenly serious, gazing at him steadily through his glasses.

  "Correct me if I'm wrong, but am I not Dumbledore's second, or did I miss a staff meeting somewhere?"  James said coldly.  "Ever since you got back from your imprisonment you have been displaying more and more erratic behavior every day."

  "I am only doing whatever it is in my power to make sure Voldemort gets what is coming to him," Severus snarls.  "I am prepared to use every means possible, including losing my life to insure his demise.  Are you?"  They stared at each other challengingly for a long moment.

  "Fine, Severus, have it your way.  Go out with a bang, if that's what you want, just make sure you do the job in the process.  If you fail the likelihood of anyone missing your sorry ass around here is next to none, especially since the only one who might have mourned you doesn't even realize what you did for her."  James said with irritation.

  "That, Potter, is the entire point," Severus said in a soft tone saturated with bitterness.  "We'll set the date for two weeks hence.  You just worry about getting our allies prepared."


	16. XVI

XVI

  The dream began so wonderfully…Britta and Oliver riding a broom, doing maneuvers that probably could never have been done in reality.  Then, as they walked behind the bleachers talking he kissed her neck and asked her something in her ear, and this time he asked she decided to accept.  He pulled her under the steps to one of the Quidditch boxes and began to kiss her passionately, leaning her back gently on the ground as he did so.  That was when…as he pulled back to look at her…she realized it wasn't Oliver at all.

  Britta woke up a little while later in an intense sweat and jumped out of her bed, heading to the washroom.  Without even bothering to turn the light on, she shrugged out of her shift and stood under the cold running faucet as her mind tried to drain the powerful image of Severus from her memory.  But even as she grew more alert she found she could think of nothing else.  Numbly she turned the water off and threw her shift back on, grabbing her robe on her way to the kitchen.  She glanced at the clock but really didn't care about the time.  Rather she stood dazedly staring into the icebox wondering how to stop thinking about the dream.  She was aware then of a glimmer of candlelight, and looked up to see Kathryn standing there, looking at her with a curious smile.

  "I thought I heard someone up.  What's wrong, something on your mind you want to talk about, or just can't sleep?"

  "Yes…no…yes, I mean…" Britta stammered.  "It's…kinda personal."

  "Oh, all right, if you don't want to talk I'll just make myself scarce," Kathryn nodded turning around.

  "Actually, I could use some advice," Britta admitted.

  "In that case, I'll get us some tea," Kathryn smiled, pulling out a seat for her to sit down in as she went to pull the tea set down.  Before it even hit the counter the teapot was steaming and Kathryn poured out, handing her a cup.  "So what subject are we on this early morning?"  She asked good-humouredly.

 "Men."

  "Oh, dear," Kathryn chuckled.  "Not my best subject I assure you.  But I'll give it a go.  What's Oliver done this time?"

  "Nothing, I guess that's part of the problem," Britta said.  Kathryn just gazed at her intently.  "He's handsome, charming, kind, gentle, has a great sense of humor…"

  "No sparks eh?"  Kathryn asked, handing her a biscuit.  Britta made a face and nodded.

  "Perhaps it's just his age," Britta sighed.  Kathryn snorted.

  "Too old, too young…Remus is eight years older than I, and I know some wizard couples three times that difference happily married.  If you truly loved him it wouldn't matter, nor I think would we be having this conversation," Kathryn said gently.  Britta grew quiet.  "Sometimes it just isn't meant to be, Britta, just be up front with him about it, tell him you have a good time but you're not looking to get serious."

  "Guess I should have talked to you before I agreed to meet his parents at the Quidditch game Sunday."

  "Oops."

  "I have another question."

  "Ask away," Kathryn smiled.

  "What do I do when there are sparks but the possibility of it being reciprocated is next to none?"  Britta asked.  Kathryn looked at her thoughtfully.

  "You know for someone who hides in her room all the time, you've been busy," Kathryn said.  "Is he married?"  Britta shook her head.  "Serious with someone?"  Britta shook her head again.  "Hates your guts?"

  "Indifferent, I guess would be the term."

  "Oh, that's not necessarily bad, see, it could be much worse."

  "But it doesn't make any sense that I'm attracted to him.  He isn't anything like Oliver.  He's cynical, distant, taciturn and temperamental; nobody can stand him.  But he's also brilliant and selfless in his own way, and his voice sends chills through me, and his eyes are so mesmerizing."

  "Now _that_ sounds serious," Kathryn said studying her.  "Well, I guess you have two options…either grin and bear it until you get over it, or go and talk to him and find out for certain if it's hopeless or not."

  "I guess I'll have to just grin and bear it then, because I can't possibly go to him about this.  He's not the approachable sort."  Britta said.

  "All right, come come, out with it, I can't stand talking and not knowing who I'm talking about.  Who is it?"  Kathryn demanded.  "Come on, I won't tell anyone, doctor-patient confidence remember?  I can't offer you advice unless I know for sure who it is."

  Britta took a deep breath and told her.


	17. XVII

XVII

  James entered the Potion's lab late at night to find Severus still at his desk grading papers, waving him in distractedly.  James shut the door and walked over, handing him a small stack of papers.

  "They did it.  I don't know how complete it is, but they got the trap list for the stone," James told at him.  Severus picked it up thoughtfully, looking them over with a frown.

  "Well, we knew it wouldn't be easy."

  "Easy, nothing, it needs two people, you can't do it alone."  James pointed out, tapping the list.

  "So I see."

  "Guess you won't get your chance to play martyr after all," James said.  Severus glanced at him coldly, before looking back down at the plans.  "Just as well.  Your ghost would probably haunt me forever anyhow, because if you die I have every intention of releasing Britta's memories."  Severus' head whipped back up in surprise and horror.

  "You wouldn't dare do that to her!"  Severus snarled.  James shrugged.

  "Why not?" James asked calmly.  "Whatever you confessed to her won't matter much when you're dead anyhow."

  "It isn't about that, I don't want to see her get hurt.  Swear to me you won't tell her!"  Severus growled, standing up.

  "Why would you care one way or the other?  You'll be dead anyhow.  So what if you leave someone behind that actually might have loved you…" James said.  Severus reached over and grabbed him but James was a split second faster, hitting him with a Stupefy that flung him to the wall.  

  "Sorry, Severus, but I'm not Wood, I'm not quite so easy to intimidate, and before you jump to conclusions, I happened to have been walking back from the Cauldron port in my cloak that evening, and saw the whole thing."  James said, his eyes flashing.  "And if you're looking for a break or poor Severus has had a tough life bit you're not getting it from me.  And I will make this promise; I swear I am going to tell her if it happens.  Something's got to put a stop to your reckless streak and if that is what it is going to take so help me I will."  Severus shakily got up looking furious.  "Don't even think of going for your wand, either."

  "When Dumbledore hears about this…"

  "If Dumbledore hears about this Dumbledore will also hear about you threatening a student, and I think you know which of the two would prove the more serious charge.  If you have any common sense left, you might try actually taking down that memory wall and dealing with the consequences and stop running from your life."

  "Everything is just that simple for you isn't, Potter?"  Severus growled, completely enraged.  "You and your perfect family, always protected from danger through this entire war, coming out of hiding to instantly take over for McGonagall, always close to the action but never effected by it, and all of your friends risking their lives and willing to die to keep your little fantasy family all in one piece, because you have 'too much to lose.'  While some of us who have been dealt straight hands of spades in life, you walk through as if nothing is wrong!   Well, there is something wrong.  A lot of things are wrong.  And I will not allow you to call my cards when the only solace I have had in my life was a few months in a tortured blur, when someone did care if I lived or died.  I don't interfere in your personal affairs, stay out of mine!  I plan to fight tooth and nail to the death anyone who tries to take the one ounce of humanity I have left, friend or no friend, pact or no pact, Voldemort or no Voldemort!"

  A strange expression came over James' face and he slowly put down his wand, putting it back into his belt.

  "You're right," James said softly, with a slight nod.  "You're right, I was out of line.  And I know you won't accept an apology even though I offer it.  I just hope you realize you have a lot more to live for than you might believe.  I wouldn't have told her," he added, heading towards the door.  Severus' eyes followed James' back, panting softly as he tried to control his temper, the color coming back into the knuckles in his fists.  The entire situation seemed ludicrous, and yet somehow Severus realized as he walked away that James' threats had been a desperate attempt to help him rather than a vicious attempt to hurt him.

  "Apology accepted," Severus muttered, getting back into his seat, displaying annoyance over the ink spots on the paper in front of him.  James turned in surprise and gazed at him for a long moment, but Severus did not look up in return.

  James then turned, winding up the stairs with only his destination in mind.  In what seemed to be an interminable amount of time he found himself at the door to Dumbledore's study, knocking on it.  The doors swung open and he entered.  Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, reading a book.  He sat it down gently and looked thoughtfully up at James.

  "Do you ever get the odd feeling that something isn't right with destiny?"  James asked out of the blue.  "As if somehow, somewhere, fate turned its back, because of something that happened, or didn't happen?"

  "Ah, yes," Dumbledore said sadly.  "I feel that way all the time," he admitted, folding his hands across the book and looking at him.  "But there is little we can do about it, nor is there any way to figure out what might have gone wrong.  All we can do is what we must to make it right again."

  James sighed softly and sat down in front of the desk, wondering exactly what it was he was supposed to do next.


	18. XVIII

XVIII

  Britta popped the stone in her mouth thoughtfully as she headed into the Quidditch Cavern, searching the crowds as she headed towards the Gryffindor gate.  Suddenly she bumped into someone standing at the bottom of the Professor's box, nearly choking on her stone in the process.  Quickly she took it out of her mouth and looked up to see Severus who had been quietly talking to Malfoy beside him.  Severus sighed and shook his head at her, his mouth twitched to the side; whether in amusement or exasperation Britta wasn't quite sure.

  "You know if you keep walking around in a daze with that pebble in your mouth all the time, you are going to end up swallowing it," he chided gently.

  "Sorry, Severus," Britta said, feeling a rush of heat in her cheeks.  "Excuse me, Professors," she said, putting her stone in its box before quickly making tracks for the gate.  Lucius squinted at the girl as she hurried off then turned to Severus with a frown, who was watching her disappear around the corner.

  "Miss Marley just called you Severus," Malfoy pointed out to him.

  "So she did," Severus said distantly.

  Oliver kissed Britta lovingly and took her hand, leading her up the stairs to the box encouragingly.

  "C'mon, now, I need to get back you know, won't do well for the keeper to be late," he teased.

  "Oliver, this doesn't mean anything right, meeting your family?"  Britta asked, causing him to pause and look at her.  "What I mean is, well…I'm not looking for anything, you know…" Oliver's shoulders relaxed and a small slightly amused smile appeared on his face.

  "Oh, is that what's been bothering you?  I knew something was holding you back," he said, pushing her hair out of her face.  "It's all right, I understand," he said gently.  "In fact, I'm sort of getting used to it, long term doesn't seem to be in the stars for me after this year.  We'll just be two people enjoying each other's company.  Although, I admit I'd rather like to enjoy it a bit more than we have so far," he grinned before giving her a passionate kiss, pressing against her.

  "Wood!" A voice called from down the stairs.  Sighing slightly, Oliver pulled away.

  "I'll be right down," he said, not taking his eyes off of Britta.  "Come on, they're not too bad, I promise, not scary at all."

  Britta met his mother Marigold, his older sisters Maggie and Rose, and his young third cousin, Corey.  Marigold was quite interested in Britta and very good about asking awkward questions about her family and her 'terrible ordeal.'  Marigold, it seemed, had known the Marley's at one point, and spoke of them with great respect.

  The Gryffindor team seemed to have the edge on the field, but Britta knew from Oliver that even though they had the youngest Quidditch player in a century, the Ravenclaw's Seeker was someone to be taken seriously.   The chasers kept the Quaffle moving, but Oliver wasn't about to let it through, and the score quickly began to rise on the Gryffindor side.  Suddenly Britta saw Cho dive, and Harry was close behind, heading steeply upwards and veering around just inches below a speeding bludger.  As Harry twisted around for a dive, something quite odd happened.  His broom jerked suddenly backward, then began jerking quite erratically in such sharp movements that it was a miracle it was staying on at all.

  "What is going on?"  Britta said, standing up with some of the others in the box.

  "Foul play if I'm not mistaken," Marigold said.  "It looks like two people tugging on a rope, and Harry's broom's the rope!"

  Britta looked over to the teachers' box to see Severus, James, Lily and Lucius all standing, looking to be in a struggle to fight whatever it was causing it.  Without hesitation, Britta suddenly raised her wand and aimed it at Harry, calling out in a loud, clear tone,  "_Requite!"_  A surge of energy went through her as the dark spell hit its target and a beam of light suddenly hit him and shot off towards the lower year Gryffindor bleachers.  Harry gained control and was off after the snitch again, but Britta was more curious as to who had cast the spell in the first place.  She dove down the stairs, putting away her wand as she walked along the edge of the bleachers.   She glanced up at the game just in time to see Harry's first grasp around the Snitch as Cho pulled up after getting hit in the side by a bludger.  The crowd had gone wild, but nowhere was it more chaotic than the stands where she was heading.  Everyone was talking at once, trying to figure out what had happened.

   "I don't know who it was, the light just came blinding past me!"

  "I can't remember who was standing there, could have been everyone."

  "WHO CAST THAT SPELL?"  The voice of Lucius Malfoy boomed.

  Britta jumped nearly sky high as he and Severus walked over to the crowd, causing them all to quiet down.

  "We don't know, sir, the backlash spell blinded us," Dean said.

  "Two different dark spells and no owners for either," Lucius growled.  Britta suddenly realized that interfering when the professors were already trying to deal with a situation like that might not have been such a smart idea.  

  "Well, perhaps if the first student came forward they might have some insight on the matter," Severus said, tilting his head to one side, looking passed Britta.

  "No student could have possibly held that menial of a dark spell on such a powerful curse and gotten it to stick.  It had to be a fully trained dark wizard or witch.  I think I'll start looking into who that was," Lucius frowned, heading towards the box above.   As Severus began questioning the crowd Britta tried to slip around him, but when she nervously glanced over she saw his steady gaze had come to focus on her.

  "What about you, Miss. Marley, did you see anything from where you had been?"  Something about the way he asked that made her aware that he guessed more than he was saying.

  "No, I couldn't tell, too many people around them, but they were sitting right along there," she said, pointing at an empty spot of bench.

  "Half a moment, wasn't Ginny and Ron Weasley sitting there with Draco?" Creevy asked.  Blinking with surprise, Severus suddenly swept off the field.

  Britta, concerned but figuring it was best to let Severus handle it, suddenly wished to be somewhere quiet so she could think.  She wandered over to where the Gryffindor team was talking; mostly about what happened and how easily they were able to pull off the win anyhow.  Oliver smiled at her as she came near, putting an arm around her.

  "Mum told me you somehow managed to free Harry, well done!  Do you know who cursed him?"  He asked.  Britta shook her head.

  "No one knows yet," Britta said.  "I think I want to go somewhere quiet for awhile, I hope you don't mind."

  "Well, do you mind if I come along?"  He asked.  

  "No, of course not."

  "Well, then, I know just the place.  Hang on a moment," he winked, walking over to say goodbye to his family.  Britta found herself wondering if they had said anything to Malfoy about the spell yet.  No, she mused, they would have headed to the field straight away and probably had already left.  Oliver soon returned and the two of them headed towards the far side of the pitch.


	19. XIX

*A/N Hmm, I miscounted, going to be 21 chapters instead of 20 g but if you have gotten this far I'm sure you won't mind too much.  Thanks and r/r! *

XIX

  The box above the Hufflepuff gate had been soon emptied, and Oliver led her in and put a ward on the door before showing her how to hop down between the first landing and the second stair to get to the ground below.  Britta shivered slightly.  For some reason, everything seemed so familiar.

  "I come here a lot when I want to think or unwind.  Nice place to just relax, and no one ever never comes in except during games," Oliver said, taking a seat, leaning back against the wooden walls.

  "If that's true, then how come you put an alarm ward on the door?"  Britta taunted him.

  "A little privacy insurance is all," Oliver said kissing her gently.  "I'm sorry I got you worried about the family thing.  The last thing I want is you to feel uncomfortable about us.  These are difficult times in this world, so much as gone awry out there.  But it doesn't have to consume out lives, you know.  I suggest we just live in the moment and not the future, and right now, in this moment, there's only you and me."  Oliver kissed her again, more passionately this time, his hands supporting her as he leaned her back on the ground, still kissing her.

  It was then that Britta got that odd sense of déjà vu again, and felt a rush as suddenly the memory of the dream she had had came back to her, the scene so familiar as to be eerie, only now it was real.  But as Oliver pulled back slightly to gaze at her, it was still Oliver, and Britta knew it was entirely wrong.  She couldn't do this.  Even if she never told Severus the truth, she couldn't betray her own self like this, and it was unfair to Oliver as well, and she knew it.  There must have been a strange change in her face or a tension in her movements, for Oliver immediately realized something was wrong.  As his look suddenly turned to one of concern, Britta suddenly felt tears on her cheeks.

  "This isn't going to work, is it?"  Oliver said quietly.

  "I'm sorry, Oliver, I really am.  I just can't," Britta said, getting to her feet and climbing through the steps to the door.  Oliver released the alarm and got up, watching her leave with a heavy heart.  She was in love with someone else, he knew.  And he even suspected who it was.

  Britta left the box in tears, wishing she just didn't exist.  She didn't want to go back to her room; Kathryn would pester her.  She just wanted to be somewhere that she wouldn't be found and everyone would leave her alone.  That was when she brushed off her cheeks and hurried out of the cavern, skirting around people as best she could as she began the long descent to the lower caverns.  She ripped off a small piece of cloth from the inside of her robe, transforming it into a dark thin shroud, pulling it over herself as she got to the mirror she knew led to the Dark Quarter.

   That was when she made the mistake of looking into the Mirror of Erised.

  She saw herself in her cell, in the darkness…all in her old rags with the exception of the chain around her neck holding her pebble.  But something was different…the hole in the wall had widened over time, and from in a man's hand reached out and took hers.  Britta blinked at it in bewilderment, looking down at her hand and back in the picture, feeling her face beading with sweat.  Without another thought she pulled the shroud down over her face and stepped in. 

  "Ron!  Wait up!"  Harry and Draco stopped him just before he launched the boat, panting.  "Where do you think you're going?"

  "Where do you think I'm going, I'm going after her," Ron said.  "She's the only family I have left and I'm not about to lose her, just because of this stupid book."

  "Well, you're not going without us," Harry said, picking up the diary from where Ron had thrown it.  "Although we should tell my parents…"

  "There's no time, Harry, I'm not waiting!"

  "Well, I'm going too."

  "Like hell you are, Draco, if it wasn't for you, Ginny wouldn't be in danger!  Like father like son…"

  "How was I to know that diary was cursed?  It looked like a blank book to me, and it wasn't as if Father seemed to care about it dropped in a box like that.  I am sorry, and I'm going to make amends whether you like it or not.  Ginny is my friend, and I'm going to help," Draco said.

  "She's _my_ sister…"

  "That's enough, both of you," Harry snapped.  "We're all going.  Draco, send Figfen back with a note, and let's go.  We can't let her get to Voldemort."  Draco quickly wrote a note and put it in a tube around the lizard's neck.

  "Take it to Father," he told it, before he hopped into the boat.  Harry gave the boat a shove and hopped in as the three of them pulled the boat out with sticks until it could move on its own power.

  "Well, we're off then," Harry sighed, sitting back, "Let's just hope Voldemort hasn't had time to replace the Guardian yet."


	20. XX

XX

  Lucius Malfoy stormed into Dumbledore's office where Severus, Lily and James had been talking with Dumbledore about what had happened at the game.  It was very late at night and they had been talking for hours, so his entrance came as even more of a surprise.

  "They're gone.  They've gone to the Castle, we need to stop them before it's too late," Malfoy said, walking up to Dumbledore's desk as he rose to his feet.  "You were right Severus, it was one of the Weasley's.  Draco…I had a diary of Voldemort's in my study, and apparently my son thought it was not of consequence and gave it to Ginny as a present.  It possessed her and used her to try to hurt Harry and she left to head there.  Ron, Harry and Draco went after her," he said, thrusting the note out.

  "Oh my god!"

  "Harry!"  James said, grabbing the note and reading it, then handed it to Dumbledore.  "Well, no choice now, we have to go after them.  Let's round up as many raiders as we can and go ahead with the plan.

  "Potter, you go in there now, it'll be a deathtrap for sure, Voldemort will know you are coming," Severus hissed.

  "You don't expect us to leave our children in there, do you?  We're going in."  James said firmly.  Dumbledore nodded soberly.

  "Agreed, just be careful, all of you," Dumbledore said, as the Professors headed out the door.  Just outside, Severus heard his name called and the group turned around to see Kathryn Lupin heading towards them.

  "Have you seen Britta?  She didn't come home tonight," she asked, sounding worried.  "I asked Oliver and apparently they broke up right after the game, and no one has seen her since."

  "You don't think she went as well?"  Lily asked.

  "No, Draco would have mentioned it," Lucius said.  James suddenly put a hand on Severus' shoulder.

  "Stay, Severus. Go find her.  We can handle this.  Lily's coming along as well as Lucius, you just worry bout Britta," James said.  Before Severus could protest, James, Lily and Lucius continued on their way.  Severus sighed softly, not liking to be left behind, but James was right.  He had more important things to think about now.

  "Do you have any idea where she might have gone?"  Kathryn asked.

  "Perhaps…why don't you go on home, I'll take care of it," he said.  Kathryn nodded slowly, turning back down the corridor.  Severus then turned and headed down to the lower caverns.

  It was cold, and very dark.  Britta huddled stepped down out of the more uniform corridors where the offices and classes were held and into the large common area where the creatures of darkness under the pact lived.  Boggarts, vampires, wraiths, werewolves and many other creatures lingered above, each seemingly ignorant of the others.  It was a place for those that hid in shadows and lurked in patches of blackness, and it was perfect for how Britta felt.  It reminded her of her cell, and when she closed her eyes, she could almost feel herself there.

  Strange, she had so wanted to be alone, yet now that she felt truly alone she had a strong wish that someone else was there…or perhaps something…a whisper in the dark, that was what was missing.  That was what had been missing since before she came.  She pondered that feeling for a long time not knowing what to make of it, sticking her Magebias stone in her mouth.  But it made her cough…that was when she realized she really wasn't feeling well, and everything seemed to be closing in, leaving her even more numb than before.  

  A hand suddenly touched her, she wasn't quite sure how much later, and she felt a strange tingle on her skin as a small magic device was pressed against it and her mind began to clear.   She was aware of a figure sitting next to her, but didn't even care to look to see who it was.  She could already guess.

  "Did you really think you could come in here without any notice?"  A voice, strong and familiar whispered.  "The entrance is cursed to keep out anyone not of the Pact out…a slow acting paralyzation.  I suppose you thought you could get away with it because of your paternal father being a dark wizard?  Well, it's a bit more complicated than that.  I've given you something through the skin that will help you adjust, however.  Now, tell me why you came here."

  "Why is anyone anywhere?"  Britta sighed, wondering to herself how he even knew she was adopted.  She never told anyone that.  "I came to get away and think someplace I thought no one could find me."

  "Yes, but I know you too well, Britta.  In some ways we are alike," the whisper said, "We curse the walls and chains that plague us but instead of fighting them we build more walls to reinforce them.  But there was a short time in both of our lives where those walls were not as strong.  Do you know who was in the cell next to you after the hole was made?"

  "Eugene," Britta said.

  "No, before him.  The one who helped you make the hole in the first place.  The one who gave you that stone to help protect you, and spent hours whispering to."  Britta shook her head slowly.  "Are you sure you want to know?"

  Britta turned and looked into Severus' eyes, barely visible in the darkness.  She knew then, she knew with little doubt it had been him, and somehow she understood why her skin tingled every time he spoke and blood boiled every time he looked at her.  She nodded slowly and said that she was sure, so he stood and asked her to follow.  


	21. XXI

XXI

  Severus took her up to a private set of rooms, the front being set up as a personal study and potion's lab.  From there he picked out a bottle that was standing alone from the rest of the organized phials, handing it to her.  Taking the pebble out of her mouth for a moment she took the potion, earning a rather surprised expression from Severus.

  "You should at least ask what it is before taking a potion someone hands you, you know," he chided quietly.

  "I trust you," Britta said, but then became distracted as she looked at the small stone, staring at it with wonder.  She remembered the first time she got it…someone had put it threw the hole, promising to teach her magic.  A flood of other memories quickly followed like an open door, even recalling the two 'Death Eater's' who had managed to sneak her out of Azkaban and had barely escaped several dementors that had tried to go after them as they fled on brooms away from the island.

  Severus sat beside her, expressionlessly watching the wide range of emotions cross her face, mixed with the tears that streamed down her cheeks.  He was very unsure, almost petrified at just how she was going to react to him; knowing he had been there and had known the whole time, wondering if she would be angry for him not telling her sooner.  At last she put the stone back in her mouth and looked up at him, barely able to speak.

  "So…did you ever have a chance to make up your mind?"  She asked slowly.  Severus frowned in puzzlement, tilting his head slightly.  "Am I…someone you'd want to associate with?"  He gazed at her searchingly for a long moment.

  "To be perfectly honest, I was more worried that you would not wish to associate with me," he stated in a low voice.  "Especially with Wood…"

  "Oh, that…that was just a diversion, it never went anywhere, I just…thought it might be healthier than what I was feeling for you," Britta mumbled, feeling uncomfortable.  Severus blinked at her in surprise.  "I guess my heart didn't forget after all," she added.  Timidly she reached her hand out to touch his, and trembling slightly he grasped it.

  "Forgive me for not telling you sooner.  I did not wish to see you get hurt.  I certainly didn't wish to see you cut yourself off from the world from that stupidity."  Severus said softly.

  "I understand.  Knowing you, you probably were busy volunteering for every chancy mission there was, and between that and the Pact you probably thought that I would just end up worrying about you and hurting if anything happened to you," Britta shook her head at him slightly amused.

  "Yes, that and I didn't want to set you up for a fall when you realized the person you thought you knew was in actually a grumpy old professor, who…" Severus suddenly found himself cut off with a gentle kiss that left him completely off balance for a moment as he found himself staring in her eyes that seemed unsure of how he was going to react.  Finally he drew her into his arms, kissing her so passionately it was her turn to be surprised.   After a moment he took the stone out of his mouth and put it in the box around her neck.  "I don't think you need that right now." 

 "All I ever needed was you," Britta said softly.  "There was just always a wall in the way."

  "No more walls," Severus said firmly, putting a finger gently to her lips.  "No matter what happens out there, I am not going to let anything or anyone get between us again."   Britta gazed at him for a moment, whispering a few soft words which Severus repeated shakily in return before pulling her closer.  It was the last words spoken for a long time.

  Severus awoke to a pounding noise and auburn hair in his face.  Once he recovered enough from that shocking occurrence to push Britta's hair out of his face and wonder at the incredulity that there was a woman there at all, he recognized the pounding noise as an insistent knock at the door.   Somehow managing to maneuver himself away and throw on a robe he closed the door to his bedroom behind him and answered the front one to see Lucius Malfoy there, looking quite tired.

  "About time you answered, I thought you were a light sleeper.   We've had some world-shaking events, and Dumbledore wants to see you and the rest of the staff as soon as possible in his office.  Did you find Britta?"  Lucius asked.

  "Yes, she's fine, safe.  What do you mean world-shaking?  Are the kids all right, how did the raid go?"  Severus said.  Lucius sighed.

  "Better than expected.  Worse than expected.  Voldemort is gone, but at a serious cost to us," Lucius explained.

  "Gone as in dead?"  Severus asked, suddenly studying his own arm carefully.

  "Gone as in defeated…for now.  But as you can see, the mark is still there, if faint.  Dumbledore doesn't think he is dead.  But the Castle is back in our hands, although heavily damaged and cursed and who knows what it'll take to get it back to its former glory."  Lucius paused as the door to the bedroom opened, his eyes growing wide as he saw Britta step out.

  "Go on, you said there was a serious cost, who did we lose?"  Severus asked.  Lucius looked back over to Severus looking dark.

  "James and Lily," Lucius said quietly.  The color drained out of Severus' face, looking a bit unsteady.  "They had tracked the children to the Stone, somehow they had managed to get all the way through the booby traps.  But Voldemort was there as well, and was going to kill them, starting with Harry, who had the Stone.  James fought him and was killed, and Lily jumped in front to try and save Harry and took the brunt of another curse.   That was when something incredible occurred…when Voldemort tried to hit Harry, the curse bounced off and hit him instead, and the scream echoed through the halls like glass breaking.  I had been leading the Dark forces on the assault on the Great Hall, and by the time I got there, only the kids were alive and Harry was crying over his parents.   Ginny is fine now, all of them are in the hospital ward."  An awkward silence set in and Britta walked over to Severus putting a hand on his arm comfortingly.

  "Let Dumbledore know I'll be right up," Severus told Lucius softly.  Lucius nodded to him, looking thoughtful.

  "There's one other thing," Lucius said after a moment.  "Before we left, James handed me something to give to you in case anything happened to him…" he said, his voice trailing a bit as he took a small package out of his pocket.  "I didn't take him seriously at the time, but I took it."

  Severus carefully unwrapped it to find a deck of cards underneath it, with a small piece of paper attached that simply said, "A deck for Severus."  Frowning slightly, he fanned the cards and a strange sensation came over him.

  "A deck of cards with no spades," Severus said, sounding distant.  "He knew.  Somehow, he knew he wouldn't be coming back."  Britta looked at Severus puzzled, not quite understanding the significance of that.   

  "At least it was not in vain.  We owe a great deal to James and Lily, and Harry, of course.  They will all go down in history this day," Lucius said.  "We now have a much brighter future in store thanks to them."

  "It looks like Fate finally decided to side with us for a change," Britta said slowly.

  "Yes.  Although I started believing that from the moment I first heard your voice," Severus said.  Britta smiled softly at him.

The End

A/N.  Thanks for reading my twisted fate story!  Hope you all liked it.  Now I got to get back to working on Jennifer Craw book 4! Pant-pant.  R/R what you think of the overall story for me.  Thanks!

_  PS. To my JC fans, who were wondering …  Of Course it is!  Sillies.  Ya'll need to pay attention to clues. g_

_ PS2:  To people reading my stuff for the first time:  Please read Jennifer Craw and the Phoenix Wand!  It's an in depth, character filled series that tries to preserve the flavor of the original series. _


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